The SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium Diabetes Prevention Program is offering the Soggy Walkers fitness challenge this fall to residents of Sitka and Kake.

The Soggy Walkers program started on Oct. 1 and runs through Dec. 15. The first 100 participants to register will be given pedometers (if they don't already own one) and they will record their daily steps during the fitness challenge. People without pedometers will be able to log in their time spent doing physical activity at a rate of 30 minutes equals 5,000 steps. Participants will be eligible to win various incentives for completing the Soggy Walkers event.

"Research has shown that making small lifestyle changes, such as walking 3,000 to 10,000 steps a day, can make a significant and positive impact on a person's health," said Walleen Whitson, who is coordinating the event in Sitka for the SEARHC Diabetes Prevention Program. "Making a program such as Soggy Walkers available to the community will help Sitkans get the support they need so they can make these healthy lifestyle changes."

This event is open to the entire Sitka community, and a registration period will take place from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, Sept. 29, in the main entryway of the SEARHC Mt. Edgecumbe Hospital. People who miss Friday's registration session can call Walleen Whitson at 966-8916 or they can e-mail her at walleen.whitson@searhc.org. They also can stop by the SEARHC Diabetes Prevention Program office during normal business hours at the Sitka Professional Building, 208-B Lake St. (between GCI and the Sitka Tribe of Alaska Resources Department).

During the Soggy Walkers program, people can submit their daily step counts on a weekly basis. They can e-mail Walleen Whitson at the address above, or they can fax them to 966-8842.

The Soggy Walkers program also is being offered in Kake. Residents of Kake can contact Georgie Reese at 785-3260 or by e-mail at georgie.reese@searhc.org for more information or to register for the program.